Fastener base assembly machine



March 10, 1970 v E. W. COOPER FASTENER BASE ASSEMBLY MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 9, 1965 INVENTOR. EDWARD W. COOPER BY TIC March10, 1970 E. w. COOPER 3,499,592

' FASTENER BASE ASSEMBLY MACHINE Filed July 9, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR. EDWARD W. COOPER Y Mair'ch 10, 1970 v E.'w. COOPER 3,499,592

I FASTEHER BASE ASSEMBLY MACHINE Filed July 9. 1965 1 s Sheets-Sheet s INVENTOR.

EDWARD W. COOPER wx -M "March 10, 1970 E. COOPER v 3,499,592

' FAsTENfiR BASE ASSEMBLY MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 9, 1965 VQFNW m mP mw W W w W D E March 10, 1970 LE. W.'CQQPER 3,499,592

- FASTEHEIR BASE ASSEMBLY MACHINE 1 Filed July 9, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 556 69' EDWARD MZ EWER United States Patent U.S. Cl. 227-89 3 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A fastener base forming and attaching machineof a character including rotatable means which functions to form andsubsequently attach such fastener bases to a support sheet.

The invention relates to improvements in formingand assembly machinesand is particularly concerned with the novel method of and apparatus forforming sheet metal fastener bases and attaching them securely to sheetmaterial.

File folders having prong fastener integrally attachedtheretoconventionally are fabricated by the introduction into an attachingmachine of a completely formed prong fastener base. Such bases comprisean elongated body of strap metal having threading prongs on its endswhich are bent perpendicular to the body. The body is formed on itslongitudinal edges with longitudinally spaced tangs or lugs which alsoare bent normal to the plane of the base in the same direction as theprongs. When the base is attached to sheet material, these lugs passthrough the material and are clinched to secure the fastener basethereto.

Supplying fastener bases with their prongs and lugs preformed is costlyprimarily in the fact that they assume more volume while in storage orin shipping, and are subject to being deformed prior to use. If theprongs or lugs are deformed at any time prior to being fed into anattaching machine they must be rejected. Also, the use of preformedfastener bases in automatic attaching machines renders it necessary toprovide an excessively large feed magazine and for the machine tocomplete one operating cycle for each fastener base attached. This iscostly and a time consuming procedure.

The present forming and assemblying machine is of a character thatreceives fastener base blanks which can be packaged compactly and arenot likely to become damaged prior to use. These blanks are fed into themachine from a magazine singly which then operates to bend the prongsand lugs perpendicular to the fastener base body and, during a halfcycle of machine operation, deliver the formed fastener base intoposition where it is driven through the file folder or other sheetmaterial and clinched thereto.

The resulting forming and attaching machine and feed magazine is compactand is inexpensive to operate and is capable of producing a largernumber of finished file folders in a given operating period.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel formingand attaching machine of the character referred to.

Another object is to provide a novel machine for receiving fastener baseblanks and forming the same prior to attaching them to sheet material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterreferred to which embodies novel feed and placement means for fastenerbase blanks.

Another object is to provide a novel feed wheel assembly.

Another object is to provide novel means to control cyclical rotation ofa feed wheel assembly.

Another object is to provide a novel anvil assembly.

3,499,592 Patented Mar. 10, 1970 The structure and means by which theabove noted and other objects and advantages of the invention areattained will be described in the following specification, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferredillustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the machine.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof, omitting the feed magazine.

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 33 ofFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the feed magazine andassociated portion of the feed wheel assembly.

FIG. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the feed wheel assembly andassociated ram, showing the parts in an initial position of operation.

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the ram in the positionassumed at the end of its initial down stroke.

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the wheel assembly inposition assumed following one-half cycle of rotation.

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing the ram depressed during thenext cycle of operation, and showing a fastener base attached to sheetmaterial.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevational view of the anvil assembly.

FIG. 10 is an end elevational view of the anvil assembly, showing partsbroken away.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the anvil assembly, takensubstantially on line 1111 of FIG. 10, showing parts in elevation.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view taken on line12-12 of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a fastener base blank.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a formed fastener base.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a fragment of sheet material, showing afastener base attached thereto.

Referring to the exemplary disclosure in the accompanying drawings, themachine best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is comprised of a base .plate 11suitably supported on legs 12 and having spaced thereabove andintegrally connected thereto as by means of spacer posts 13, an upperplate 14. The upper plate mounts a feed magazine 15 that houses a stackof fastener baseblanks 16 to be successively fed to the attaching andforming apparatus to be described presently.

The fastener base blanks 16 each comprise, as best shown in FIG. 13, athin sheet metal blank including a body portion 17 and prongs 18 thatextend from the ends of the body portion. The longitudinal edges of thebody portion are formed with attaching lugs 19. The prongs and lugsnormally lie in the plane of the body portion. When formed, the lugs andprongs are bent normal to the body portion in the same direction as bestshown in FIG. 14.

During machine operation the magazine 15 delivers one fastener baseblank at a time to a rotatable wheel assembly 21. This wheel assemblyincludes a pair of axially spaled discs 22 suitably journalled forrotation in unison on a common axis in bearing journals 23 dependingfrom the upper plate 14. The discs are held firmly spaced apart by apair of parallel walls 24 extending betwen them and which are securedfirmly to the discs. These walls are spaced apart a distance slightlygreater than the width of a faster base body portion 17 so as to providea diametrical passageway or cavity 25 adapted to slidably receive thefastener base therebetween in a manner and by means to be describedpresently. Slidably mounted in the passageway 25 is a substantiallyrectangular spacer block 26 having firmly mounted therein a pair oftransverse pins 27. The said pins are of sufficient length to projectthrough longitudinal slots 28 in the walls 24 so as to locate their endportions beyond the outside faces of said walls. In operation, thespacer block 26 is moved in the passageway 25 a distance determined byabutment of the pins 27 with resiliently mounted spacer block returnplates 29. As best shown in FIG. 2, a pair of said plates 29 is mountedon the outside surface of each wall 24. These plates have mounting slots31 therein to receive mounting screws 32 and the plates of each pair areurged toward each other by connecting springs 33.

As noted hereinabove, fastener base blanks 16 are fed one at a time tothe rotatable wheel assembly. This is accomplished by a sweep actionwhich sweeps the lowermost fastener base blank from the stack containedin the feed magazine. In order to accomplish this, the wheel assembly 21is intermitently rotated one-half revolution in a clockwise direction.It is provided on the circumferential surface of each disc with a pairof diametrically opposed seats 34 (FIG. 4) one located in substantialalignment with each end of the passageway 25. As viewed in FIG. 4, whena seat advances beneath the magazine 15, during wheel assembly rotation,the bottom fastener base blank drops onto the seat and is carried withthe wheel assembly against a stop block a and into a position of restshown in FIG. 5, which is directly beneath ram 35.

The ram 35, which will be described presently in detail, then is carrieddownwardly into passageway beyond the axial center of the wheel assemblyand operates to force the body portion 17 of the fastener base blankdownwardly into said passageway, all as illustrated in FIG. 6. Becausethe passageway has a size comparable to the dimensions of the bodyportion 17 only, the lugs 19 and prongs 18 are bent upwardly normal tothe body portion 17. In forming the fastener base the spacer block 26 ispushed downwardly ahead of the fastener base and, as shown in FIG. 6,the pins 27 thereon strike against and depress the lower one of thespacer block return plates 29. When the ram is subsequently withdrawn,the depressed spacer block return plate 29 returns to its normalposition and the spacer block is carried thereby upwardly a distance tolocate its lower end substantially flush with the periphery of the discs22.

The wheel assembly is now rotated in a manner to be described presentlyone-half revolution to carry the other seat 34 beneath the magazine andinto alignment with the ram. This position is illustrated in FIG. 7where it will be observed that the formed fastener base is now carriedwithin the wheel assembly into the lower region thereof directly abovean anvil assembly 36 to be described presently.

Rotation of the wheel assembly is effected by a constantly driven motor37 (FIG. 2) operating through a trip clutch 38. Rotation is stopped atthe half cycle by means of a retaining lever 39 (FIGS. 1 and 3) pivotedat 41 and having a ledge 42 that is intermittently carried into and outof the path of one or the other of a pair of diametrically opposed indexpins 43 on said wheel assembly. The operation of this retaining lever 39is effected through operation of the ram 35.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the ram is slidable in a vertical guide track44. It has connected to it, as at 45, one end of a lever arm 46 pivotedat its other end to a standard 47. A crank arm 48 is connected to saidlever intermediate its ends, as at 49. The crank arm is connected, as at51, to an eccentric 52 that is intermittently rotated upon operation ofthe trip clutch 38, one complete revolution during each operating cycle.The crank arm has an extension 48a that depends freely through a slot 53in the upper base plate 14, and which has a foot portion 54 that coactswith the retaining lever 49. The operation of the related parts is suchthat when the ram is being withdrawn upwardly from the wheel assemblyafter an operating stroke, the foot portion 54 is carried upwardly andin a direction away from the retaining lever 39 and in so doing itengages with and wipes across a stud 55 said retaining lever 39 carryingsaid lever momentarily out from beneath an engaged index pin 43 thuspermitting the wheel assembly to rotate clockwise one-half a revolutionwhereupon said lever 39 returns to its initial position and is engagedby the other index pin 43 to stop rotation of the wheel assembly.

Now, with the initially formed fastener base inverted and locateddirectly over the anvil assembly 36, and a successive fastener baseblank 16 seated on the wheel assembly beneath the ram, all as shown inFIG. 7, the cycle is repeated. That is, the ram 35 decends driving thefastener base blank down into passageway 25 and at the same time thespacer block 26, which is forced downwardly thereby, drives the anvilaligned fastener base downwardly ejecting it from the wheel assembly 36.With a sheet of material 56 arranged over the anvil assembly, thefastener base prongs and lugs of the ejected fastener base will passthrough said sheet into the position substantially as shown in FIG. 8.

It is to be noted that the lower edge of the depressed spacer block 26passes out beyond the perimeter of the wheel assembly so as to insurethat the fastener base is thrust firmly against the anvil assembly whichfunctions to splay the lugs outwardly and fold the prongs into the planeof the sheet material.

The anvil assembly 36 is best shown in FIGS. 9 through 12. It comprisesa pair of upright rigid laterally spaced apart guide blocks 57 mountedfirmly on a base 58. Said assembly is held firmly on the under side ofthe lower plate 11 as by screws 59. Mounted between said guide blocks isa die block 61 having its outside upper edges bevelled, as at 62, andsuitably cut out at its ends to provide a pair of triangularly shapedend slots 63 having a wedge shaped body portion 64 between them. Mountedin each triangularly shaped slot 63 is a wedge block 65. The wedgeblocks each have a pin 66 extended through them which pins projectfreely through angularly disposed slots 67 in the die block 61 andthrough horizontal slots 68 in the guide blocks 57.

Compression springs 69 arranged between the plate 58 and the bottom faceof the die block 61 normally retain the die block in the elevatedposition shown in FIG. 10 and springs 71 in the guide blocks 57 urge thewedge blocks 65 inwardly towards each other so that their outside edgesare substantially flush with the ends of said die block. When a fastenerbase is urged downwardly against the anvil assembly, its lugs 19 areinitially splayed outwardly against the bevelled edges of the die blockand, as downward movement continues, the die block is depressed againstthe action of springs 69. The lugs are thus flattened out against theunder surface of the sheet material by engagement with the top surfacesof the guide blocks 57. When the die block 61 is depressed as aforesaid,the action of the pins 66 and angular slots 67 causes the wedge blocks65 to move outwardly against the depending prongs 18 so as to bend themupwardly flat against the under surface of the sheet material. Suchattachment is shown in FIG. 11.

It should be quite evident that upon judicious arrangement of electricalcontrols, the trip clutch 38 may be actuated each time a piece of sheetmaterial, such as a file folder, is positioned over the anvil assemblythus the machine is entirely automatic in its operation.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, inconsiderable detail, it will be understood that the description thereofis intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many detailsof the structure disclosed may be modified or changed without departingfrom the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desireto be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim:

1. A fastener base forming and attaching machine comprising a rotatablefeed wheel assembly, means operable to position one fastener base on thecircumferential surface of said feed wheel assembly, a normallyretracted ram arranged normal to the axis of said feed wheel assemblyoperable to form and urge the fastener base into the interior of saidfeed wheelassembly, a spacer block in said feed wheel assembly displacedby said fastener base, means to normally retain the spacer block withinthe perimeter of the feed wheel assembly, a forming die external of andspaced from the periphery of said-feed wheel assembly, said die beinglocated in a position diametrically opposed to said ram, means operableto impart rotation to the feed wheel assembly when the ram is inretracted position, latch means operable to limit rotation to one-halfrevolution so as to locate the said fastener base in alignment with thedie, said spacer block operating to project beyond the perimeter of thefeed wheel assembly to eject the formed fastener base from the feedwheel assembly and into engagement with the die upon repeat operation ofthe ram, and means operably connected to the ram operating meansoperable to release said latch means when the ram is retracted.

2. A fastener base forming and attaching machine comprising a rotatablefeed assembly having a cavity therein extending diametrically from :oneperipheral surface to the other surface of said rotatable feed assembly,means to feed one fastener base at a time into place over said cavity, anormally retracted ram located externally of said rotatable feedassembly operable to urge the fastener base into said cavity and to formattaching lugs and prongs thereon, means to operate said ram, a dieadjacent to the feed assembly diametrically opposed to said ram andadapted to have a sheet of material laid thereover, means operable torotate said feed assembly, latch means operable to limit rotation ofsaid rotatable feed assembly to 180, means operable upon repeatoperation of the ram to eject the formed fastener base from the cavitythrough the sheet material and into engagement with the die, and meansoperably connected to the ram operating means operable to release saidlatch means when the ram is retracted.

3. The machine recited in claim 2, in which spring controlled spacerblock return plates are provided to retain the spacer block within theperimeter of the feed wheel assembly.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,231,168 1/1966 Ward 227882,202,905 6/ 1940 GOOdstein 227-89 X 2,818,568 1/ 1958 Turrall 277-81FOREIGN PATENTS 693,007 6/ 1953 Great Britain. 266,953 5/ 1950Switzerland.

CHARLIE T. MOON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

